Method and apparatus for continuously soaking fibrous material



Sept. 17, 1963 s. G. EKEGREN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY SOAKING FIBROUS MATERIAL.-

Filed Jan. 16, 1959 .fi N6 w Z n M 5 m. w

ATTOR NEYS United States Patent 3,104,153 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY SOAKING FIBROUS MATERIAL Sven Gunnar Ekegren, Uttran, Sweden, assignor to Aktiebolaget Separator, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed Jan. 16, 1959, Ser. No. 787,177 9 Claims. (Cl. 8156) This invention relates to the washing of fibrous material, such as raw wool, and more particularly to an improved method and apparatus for this purpose.

:It is old in the art, as shown by Australian Patent No. 201,619, to wash raw wool by means of a rotating brush. This mode of washing is very eifective in that the washed wool is thoroughly cleaned, but it has the drawback that the brush tears the fibres to fragments to a certain extent.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide for elfecti-ve washing of fibrous material without the above-noted drawback.

According to the invention, the fibrous material is subjected to a treatment which is gentle in itself and which has strong dissolving and loosening actions, respectively, on the soluble and insoluble impurities contained in the fibre material. This treatment entails a novel method of soaking the fibre material continuously, which comprises dropping the material into a body of washing liquid which is kept whirling about in a chamber by injecting into this liquid a jet of washing liquid, whereupon the resulting suspension is discharged from the chamber. Preferably, this treatment is followed by a gentle washing procedure, such as sprinkling of the material on a conveyor band or on vibrating screens.

When treating hydrophilic fibres, such as raw wool, according to this method, an organic solvent (such as kerosene) may be used as the washing liquid, instead of water, to prevent the felting of the fibres which would otherwise occur while they are whirling about in the Water. When washing raw wool with kerosene according to this method, the solid impurities, such as sand, are loosened and the wool grease is dissolved at the outset so elfectively, through the whirling about of the wool in the washing liquid, that the wool after having been subjected to the rest of the washing process is considerably cleaner than without the pre-treatment of this invention.

The washing liquid can be injected into the soaking chamber from above, preferably in such a way that the liquid jet carries along with it the fibre material falling down into the chamber. *In this case, however, splashing occurs. It is therefore preferable to inject the washing liquid below the liquid level in the chamber so that the splashing is eliminated. Furthermore, it is preferable to inject the washing liquid at an angle (such as right angles) to a wall in the chamber. In this way, the material is subjected to an intensive working against this wall by the liquid jet.

The apparatus of the invention, preferably used for carrying out the new method, comprises a chamber having an injection nozzle located in a side wall of the chamber, a discharge opening extending along the bottom of an opposite wall of the chamber, and means for varying the area of this discharge opening.

The variable area of the discharge opening makes it possible to ensure that the apparatus functions satisfactorily at different throughput rates and with different fibrous materials. Moreover, it has :proved advantageous to have the discharge opening extending along the bottom of the chamber so that no fibre-retaining threshold is formed below the discharge opening, but the fibres can be freely flushed out by the pressure of the liquid jet.

The discharge opening preferably extends over the entire width of the wall opposing the injection nozzle, thereby helping to prevent formation, in the chamber, of pockets which would retain the fibre material.

A convenient way to make the area of the discharge opening variable is to arrange the wall opposite the injection nozzle so that it can be raised or lowered.

To prevent undesirable splash from the discharge opening, the latter can be arranged to open into a discharge spout leading the suspension to the rest of the washing machine. Undesirable splash in the upward direction from the soaking chamber can be prevented by a splash guard arranged generally horizontally above the liquid level in the chamber.

Particularly when washing with inflammable organic solvents, it is important to ensure that the washing liquid cannot flow out of the soaking chamber. For this purpose, a safety discharge may be arranged to start functioning if the discharge opening becomes clogged. The safety discharge may be an overflow discharge.

The invention is explained more in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are vertical sectional views of three different examples of the new soaking apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 1, a vessel 1 has an injection nozzle 2 for the washing liquid. The nozzle should direct the liquid jet against an opposite wall. Thus, if the vessel should be circular in horizontal cross section, the nozzle should not be directed tangentially but generally radially. The wool or other fibrous material drops in the manner shown by arrow 3 and is carried along by the whirling liquid so that it gtes soaked and suspended in the liquid. The wool suspension then flows out through overflow discharge openings 4, as indicated by arrows.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a vessel 5 has a conical bottom 6 from which projects a downwardly directed discharge spout 7. In the wall of the vessel is inserted an injection nozzle 8, and the wool falls down into the vessel 5 in the way indicated by an arrow 9. The liquid supply through the nozzle 8 and the discharge through the outlet 7 is regulated so that a satisfactory liquid level for soaking is maintained in the vessel 5.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, a vessel 10 has an intermediate Wall 11 that can be raised and lowered. This wall forms with the bottom 12 of the vessel a variable discharge opening 13 which extends over the entire width of the vessel 10 and the wall 11, so that no pockets are formed in which wool can be retained. Opposite the opening 13, an injection nozzle 14 is inserted so that the liquid jet coming from the nozzle serves to work the wool against the wall 11 and also flush the bottom 12 of the vessel clear of wool as well as of solid impurities. The wool suspension flowing out of the opening 13 is received by a discharge spout 15 leading the suspension down towards the subsequent washing plant. The wool is introduced into the soaking chamher in the way indicated by an arrow 16, and the wall 11 is arranged to be raised and lowered by means comprising a rod v17 which supports the wall 11 and, in turn, is supported by a screw 18 adjustable in the vertical direction. A horizontal guard 19 is arranged in the vessel 10' to prevent upward splashing. The wool suspension flowing out from the spout 15 falls down on a vibrating screen 20 which is the first section of the subsequent washing plant. The wool travels to the right on the screen. The washing liquid in the wool suspension passes through the screen and is caught in a vat 21, :from which it discharges at the bottom through a pipe 22 to a pump 23'. The latter feeds the washing liquid through a pipe 24 back to the nozzle 14 so that the necessary strong fiow of washing liquid can be maintained through the vessel 10. If the opening 13 should become clogged by wool, the washing liquid is prevented from flowing out over the upper edges of the vessel 10, as the upper edge 25 of the wall 11 serving as an overflow discharge. The suspension flowing over the edge 25 is then discharged by the spout 15. The dirt concentration in the liquid circulating through the pipes 22 and 24, the vessel and the screen 20, is kept below the desired level by drawing 01? liquid through an outlet 25a and sprinkling clean liquid on the screen 20, as indicated by arrow 26.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for continuously washing fibrous material, such as raw wool, which comprises a vessel, an injection nozzle opening into the vessel through a side wall thereof, the vessel having a wall opposite the nozzle and forming with the bottom of the vessel a discharge opening, and means for varying the area of said discharge opening.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said discharge opening extends over the entire width of said opposite wall.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said means includes a device for raising and lowering said opposite wall in the vessel.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising also a discharge spout into which said discharge opening leads.

5. Apparatus according to claim -1, comprising also a generally horizontal splash guard mounted in the vessel and located above the liquid level therein.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising also safety means responsive to clogging of said discharge opening for discharging liquid from the Vessel other than over the side walls of the vessel.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, in which said safety means include a discharge spout into which the discharge 4 opening leads, said opposite wall having an overflow edge leading to the spout and located below the level of the upper edges of the side walls of the vessel.

8. In the continuous soaking of fibrous material, such as raw wool, with a washing liquid, the method which comprises continuously dropping the fibrous material into a body of the washing liquid, continuously whirling, in a substantially vertical plane and by injecting a jet of washing liquid into the lower portion of said body and across said body, a part of the liquid in said body through an endless path which intercepts the fibers dropped into said body, thereby forming in said body a whirling liquid suspension of the fibers, and continuously discharging said suspension through an outlet from the lower portion of the body and from said endless path in a direction which is tangential to said path and which forms a straight continuation of said jet, whereby the jet acts to flush said liquid suspension of fibers through said outlet in addition to forming said whirling suspension.

9. The method defined in claim 8, comprising also the steps of screening the suspension discharged through said outlet, to separate liquid from the fibers, and returning the separated liquid to the liquid body by way of said jet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 654,647 Koppelman July 31, 1900 2,078,810 Richter Apr. 27, 1937 2,516,884 Kayme Aug. 1, 1950 2,730,888 Seely June 17, 1956 2,772,138 Evans Nov. 27, 1956 2,810,625 Brooks Oct. 22, 1957 2,839,910 Langer June 24, 1958 

8. IN THE CONTINUOUS SOAKING OF FIBROUS MATERIAL, SUCH AS RAW WOOL, WITH A WASHING LIQUID, THE METHOD WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY DROPPING THE FIBROUS MATERIAL INTO A BODY OF THE WASHING LIQUID, CONTINUOUSLY WHIRLING, IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL PLANE AND BY INJECTING A JET OF WASHING LIQUID INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID BODY AND ACROSS SAID BODY, A PART OF THE LIQUID IN SAID BODY THROUGH AN ENDLESS PATH WHICH INTERCEPTS THE FIBERS DROPPED INTO SAID BODY, THEREBY FORMINGIN SAID BODY A WHIRLING LIQUID SUSPENSION OF THE FIBERS, AND CONTINUOUSLY DISCHARGING SAID SUSPENSION THROUH AN OUTLET FROM THE LOWER POR- 